Furniture locking device



1957 Y J. c. SIEGEL 2,814,543

FURQ'ITURE LOCKING DEVICE 7 Filed Dec. 1, 1953 f INVENTOR 2 J76 ATTORNEY United States This invention relates to locks for furniture, and more particularly the locks set forth in my two prior patents,

No. 2,182,504 granted December 5, 1939 and No. 2,273,-,

151 granted February 17, 1942.

In my earlier patents, a locking bar is shown mounted on an article of furniture for lateral movement in a plane behind a series of drawers that are adapted to slide in the article of furniture. The locking bar is adapted to coact with hooks secure-d to each of the drawers, the locking bar in one position coacting with the several hooks to prevent opening movement of the drawers. When the locking bar is moved to a release position, it moves out of coaction with the hooks, and the drawers are free to open. For guiding the locking bar and maintaining it in reinforced relation, notches are formed in the several rails between the drawers, retaining plates being secured over the notches to retain the locking bar in position.

The invention of this application relates particularly to guide means for the locking bars adapted for application to the rails, whereby parts of the guide means rather than the wood of the rails act to determine the path of movement of the locking bar. In other words, while in the prior art it is the wood rails that coact with the locking bars, in the new structure of this application, the guide means applied to the rails form the full guiding structure, eliminating friction and other difliculties that arise in the prior art, and making possible the forming of a relatively large notch with considerable dimensional tolerance. This last is made possible because the notch itself does no guiding, all guiding being accomplished by the guide member applied to the notch.

A further feature of the invention resides in the form of hook utilized for coaction with the locking bar, this hook being manufactured so as to be capable of application to the drawers in several adjusted positions. Therefore, the hook and guide for the locking bar are adapted for ready coaction with the locking bar in every type of furniture article.

I have thus outlined rather broadly the more important features of my invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that my contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of my invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject of the claims appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception on which my disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures for carrying out the several purposes of my invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions as do not depart from the spirit and scope of my invention, in order to prevent the appropriation of my invention by those skilled in the art.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the back of an article of furniture to which my invention has been applied.

' atent "2,814,543 Patented Nov. 26, 1957 ice Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the two parts of the hook,

and also the guide for the locking bar.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, letter F designates an article of furniture having a series of drawers D adapted to be locked. One of the furniture rails is designated by the reference numeral 10 and the other by the reference numeral 11, it being understood by those skilled in the art that there will be a number of these rails, depending upon the size of the furniture and the number of drawers.

The locking bar of my invention is designated by reference numeral 12 and is secured at 13 to a horizontal bar 14. Horizontal bar 14 is mounted for sliding movement by supports 15 mounted on upper rail 10. At 16 is shown a pin connecting one end of the horizontal bar 14 to a link 17 that is in turn adapted for movement with a locking mechanism 18. A spring 19 is secured at one end to the locking bar 12 and at the other end to the left support 15, and tends at all times to press the locking bar 12 to an unlocking position at the left of that shown inFig. 1. In the arrangement of the parts in Fig. l, the horizontal bar 14 is maintained in locked condition by the locking mechanism 18.

Insofar as I have described the structure, it is well set forth in my earlier patents hereinabove referred to. I shall now proceed with a description of the particular structure of this application based on the novel concepts I have already discussed.

For guiding the locking bar 12 and reinforcing it in its movement between the locked position of Fig. 1 and an unlocked position to the left of that shown in Fig. 1, I form in each of the rails 10, 11 a notch 20. In my earlier patents, the rear surface 21 of the notch 20 was arranged to form a guide surface for the bar 12. Obviously, a carpenter would find it difficult to form the surface 21 accurately and smoothly, and if the surface is not accurate and smooth, there will be considerable friction resisting the sliding of the bar 12. In addition, it is obvious that it is extremely difficult for a carpenter to make a series of notches 20 with the surfaces 21 of the said notches in vertical alignment, all as is necessary for the proper guidance of the locking bar 12.

I believe that I have contributed a very simple and complete answer to the particular problem through the concept of the guide member 22, shown best in Fig. 4, but found also in the three other figures of the drawings. Guide member 22 has a vertical portion 23 and a horizontal portion 24. The vertical portion 23 is applied as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, to the vertical end face of the rails through the utilization of screws 39 traversing the openings 25 of the vertical portion 23. It is quite obvious the vertical portion 23 will completely cover the open end of the notch 20.

The horizontal portion 24 is of sufficient size so that when applied to the upper surface of any one of the rails, it covers entirely the notch 20'formed in the rail. Moreover, a slot 26 in the horizontal portion 24 is adapted for alignment with the locking bar 12 so as to guide that bar in its lateral movement. Those skilled in the art will appreciate how very simple it is to apply the guide members 23 to the notched rails in that exact relationship which is required for the proper guidance of the locking member 12. It will also be appreciated that since the guide 22 may be made of metal or plastic, its slot 26 contributes a smooth and accurate bearing for the locking bar 12 while reinforcing that bar at all times.

A hook adapted for coaction with the locking bar 12, in the path in which the locking bar 12 slides as determined by slots 26, is well shown in each of the figures of the drawings. This hook is designated generally by reference numeral 30, and is formed with a hook portion 31 and a series of detent slots 32 in its opposed edges. A fastener plate 33 is formed with a horizontal flange 34 adapted to be applied to the underside of a drawer as is shown best in Fig. 3 through means of a screw 35. The screw 35 is in turn adapted to traverse a slot 36 in the hook 30, the hook being adapted for positioning be tween the bottom of the drawer D: and the horizontal part 34 of the fastener plate 33.

When the plate and hook are assembled in the juxtaposed relation shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, certain of the detent slots 32 are applied to vertical shoulders 37 extending from vertical flanges 38 of the fastener plate 33. Obviously, the hook 30 may be applied in many different positions relatively to the fastener plate 33 merely by sliding it between the shoulders 37 in different positions. Once the fastener plate 33 and hook 30 are assembled to the drawer D, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the book can no longer move relatively to the drawer, and fastener plate 33. Thus, it is held by the shoulders 37 of the fastener plate 33, the plate 33 being in turn held securely to the drawer by the screw 35 and additional screws 40 traversing the holes 41 in flanges 38.

It is now quite obvious that the hooks 30 may be sesecured to the drawers in any adjusted position necessary to bring their portions 31 into that relation to the locking bar 12 illustrated best in Figs. 2 and 3. Thereby, it is possible to determine quickly and with very little skill the exact position where the hooks must be fastened to the drawers in order to coact with the locking bar, the path of which is controlled by the guide members 22. The invention of this application makes possible the ready assembly of my invention in any article of furniture with a minimum of skill and with considerable speed.

I now claim:

1. In an article of furniture of the class described, a series of drawers, a locking bar, means mounting said bar for sliding movement in a vertical plane at the rear of said drawers, a hook for each of said drawers having a locking portion coacting with said locking bar, a plate secured to the bottom of the end of each of said drawers and with the hook between the drawer and a part of said plate whereby said plate holds the hook against the drawer, and said hook having a series of spaced detent portions each coacting with said plate whereby said plate secures said hook to said drawer in any one of a series of adjusted positions.

2. In an article of furniture of the class described, a

series of drawers, a locking bar, means mounting said bar for sliding movement in a vertical plane at the rear of the said drawers, a hook for each of said drawers having a locking portion coacting with said locking bar, a plate secured to the bottom of the end of each of said drawers and with the hook between the drawer and a part of said plate whereby said plate holds the hook against the drawer, said plate having a vertically extending dog, and said hook having a series of spaced detent portions each coacting with said dog whereby said plate secures said hook to said drawer in any one of a series of adjusted positions.

3. In an article of furniture of the class described, a series of drawers, :1 locking bar, means mounting said bar for sliding movement in a vertical plane at the rear of the said drawers, a flat hook for each of said drawers having a locking portion coacting with said locking bar and adapted to be applied to a surface of a drawer, a series of spaced notches in the edges of said hook, a plate having lugs coacting with said notches of said hook when said plate and hook are juxtaposed for locking said hook in any one of a series of adjusted positions relatively to said plate whereby said plate when secured with a juxtaposed hook to a drawer while coacting with one of said notches of said hook locks said hook to said drawer in an adjusted position.

4. In an article of furniture of the class described, a series of drawers, a locking bar, means mounting said bar for sliding movement in a vertical plane at the rear of the said drawers, a flat hook for each of said drawer having a. locking portion coacting with said locking bar and adapted to he applied to a surface of a drawer with its hook extending from said drawer, a series of spaced detent notches in the edges of said hook, a plate adapted for securing to said drawer and having a fiat surface applied against the flat surface of said hook, said plate having upstanding flanges adapted to be secured also to the drawer and entering said detent notches of said hook when said plate and hook are juxtaposed, so that said plate locks said hook in any one of a series of adjusted positions relatively to said plate and whereby said plate when secured with a juxtaposed hook to a drawer while coacting with certain of said detent notches of said hook locks said hooks to said drawer in an adjusted position.

5. In an article of furniture of the class described having vertically spaced rails, 21 series of drawers, a horizontal bar sliding in a position juxtaposed to the plane of the ends of said drawers, a vertical locking bar secured to the horizontal bar and sliding therewith, the rails being notched to provide a space for the sliding of said vertical locking bar, guide members for said vertical locking bar each having a vertical portion and also a horizontal portion formed with a slot therein in which is adapted to be guided said vertical locking bar, means securing one of said guide members to each of said notched rails with the slotted horizontal portion of said guide members in horizontal covering relation to the notched part of each rail and the vertical portion in vertical covering relation to the notch of each rail, a hook for each of said drawers having a locking portion coacting with said locking bar, a plate secured to each of said drawers with the said hook held between the drawer and a part of the plate against separation from the drawer, and said hook having a series of spaced detent portions each coacting with said plate whereby said plate secures said hook against sliding relatively to said plate and said drawer in any one of a series of adjusted positions.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 950,813 Bodenstein Mar. 1, 1910 1,200,882 Schaefer Oct. 10, 1916 1,264,321 Meyer April. 30, 1918 1,552,035 Campbell Sept. 1, 1925 1,614,046 Schmidgall Jan. 11, 1927 2,273,151 Siegel Feb. 17, 1942 

